Improvement in gates



J. W. CLARK. Gate.

No. 197,828. Patented Dec. 4,1877.

Tov all whom it may concern:

UNITED STATES PATENT 1 OFFICE.

JAMES w. CLARK, on ETNA, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN GATES.

-- Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 197,828, datedDecember 4, 1877 application filed October 6, 1877.

. Be it known that I, JAMES W. CLARK, of Etna, in the county of Lickingand State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAutomatic Gates; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and. exact description thereof, which will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the T accompanying drawings, and to letters of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

1 This invention relates to that classof gates which are automaticallyopened and closed by a vehicle in approaching and passing through them;and it consists in a novel construction of the hinges or pivots uponwhich the gate swings. and upon the construction of the device uponwhich the Wheels of a vehicle operate to open and close the gate, andalso in the latch.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a double gateconstructed according to my invention, closed. Fig. 2 is a plan view ofthe same, the open position being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is anenlarged detail view of the top and bottom hinges of the gate. Fig. 4 isa detail perspective view of thed'ouble-bent operating-lever, and Fig. 5a sectional detail of the gate-latch. a In the description one only ofthe swinging sections of a double gate will be generally re ferred to,the other section being similarly constructed and arranged, as statedhereinafter.

The letter A designates a, stationary gatepost, and from a point nearthe top of this post "projects a flat stationary arm, a, in line withthe direction of the closed gate, and upon the top of this arm lies alongitudinallyadjustable bar, b, in which is cut a slot, b, throughwhich projects a square headed clamp screw, 12 which fits into ascrewthreaded hole in the end of the first-mentioned or stationary arma. From the inner end of the adjustable bar I) lugs or ears 0 projectdownward on each side of the stationary arm a, and serve as guides inthe adjustment of the bar I), the outer end of which extends beyond theend of said stationary arm, and through said end is cut a round hole. 0is a revolving post, from the top of which projects an arm, 0, from thecenter of the top of which a pin, 0, projects through the round hole inthe adjustable bar b, just referred to, and the foot of thisrevolvingpost rests upon and is fixed to the face of ahorizontallyarranged disk, 'D, near its circumference. Upward through anopening in the center of this disk projects a pivot, d,which is fixed ina permanent foundation in the ground. The part of the pivot whichprojects above the disk is of less diameter than the lower part, so thatimmediately above the disk a shoulder, d, is formed around the saidpivot, and upon the diminished upper part of this pivot fits a socketinthe bottom of the rear vertical bar e of thes'winging gate E, theweight of said bar resting upon the shoulder d. From the top of thisrear vertical bar 6 projects a lug or car, e, toward the oppositevertical bar,

and in this lug or ear is a hole, into which-fits,

a pin, f, projecting downward from the end of the arm O before referredto. as extending from the top of the revolving post '0.

' It will thus be seen that while the rear vertical bar 0 of the gate ispivoted centrally and upon a stationary pivot, the top of said bar ispivoted eccentrically and to a revolving pivot.

7 As the arm G, which projects from the top of revolving post 0, isrigid and rests upon the lug or ear 6, it maintains said revolving postand disk D at a fixed distance from the ground without the necessityfora bearing for said disk to rest vertically upon, and thus is preventedany interference with the action of the disk by a bearing clogged withsnow, ice, or mud.

Near the circumference of the disk D, at a point close to the foot ofthe revolving post,

is pivoted a rod, G, which extends at a rightv angle to the gate, andjust above the ground for any desired distance, but which must not beless than about twice the length of an ordinary horse and wagon, thenecessity for which minimum length will be seen hereinafter.

The outer end of this rod is jointed to the end of a horizontal arm, 71,of a bent lever, H, pivoted at its elbow to a foundation fixed in theground. The other arm, h, of this bent lever extends vertically a shortdistance, and is then bent in a horizontal direction parallel with thegate, for, say, about two feet, as shown at i, and is then inclineddownward and outward from the gate until it reaches the ground, as at15, along which it extends, say, two feet farther, as at i, and then isbent at a right angle toward the gate, as at i and is pivoted to afoundation similar to that to which the elbow is pivoted, and on a linetherewith, which is parallel to the ate. 1

The disks D andD of the opposite halves of the double gate are connectedby a rod, k, pivoted to each, so that the turning of one disk turns theother in an opposite direction by means of.this rod. When the gates areclosed spring-latches Z 1 take into a suitable catch, 1, arrangedupon'the ground at the middle of the gateway. These latches Z. Z arerods, suitably arranged in guides, and forced longitudinally downward byhelical springs. One of these latch-rods, 1, extends upward to the topof the gate, so as to be easily reached by a person on horseback; andaround in front of this rod, and near the top of the gate, is bent asemicircular band, n, through a closed vertical slot, m, in the front ofwhich projectsa pin, 0. e

To the front edge of the opposite gate E is attached a similar band, n,having a vertical slot opening upward, and when the gates are closed thepin 0 extends into this slot, and thus is formed a top latch for thegates. When they are closed automatically the curved face of theopposite band will strike the pin 0, and force it inward until the openslot coincides therewith, when the elasticity of the rod Z forces itoutward and into said open slot.

In opening the gate by hand, the raising of the rod to disengage it fromthe bottom catch also lifts the pin 0 out of the open slot. Now, when avehicle is approaching the gate in the direction of the arrow 1, Fig. 2,it should be so guided that its off fore wheel will strike the elevatedhorizontal portion of the lever H, and force it down upon the ground,thus throwing upward its short arm h, and turning, by means of rod G,the disk D in the direction of the curved arrow 2. This turning of thedisk D revolves the post 0, and causes the front end of top arm 0 toswing rearward, drawing with it the top of gate E, as shown in dottedlines, Fig. 2, thus lifting the latches on the front edge of the gatefrom their engaging catches, and the gateby gravity falls open. By meansof the rod is, connecting the two disks, the opposite gate is similarlyoperated. After the vehicle has passed through the gate its wheelstrikes the elevated part of another bent lever, H, by means of whichand an operating-rod, G, the gate is closed, as will be readilyunderstood without further explanation.

I am aware that a bent lever, somewhat similar and for the same purposeas my bent lever H, has been heretofore used, andis shown but notclaimed in my patent of June 9, 187 4, No. 151,756; but between this oldform of lever and that here shown there is this important difference,viz the old lever is in the shape of two clearly-defined loops, standingat right angles to each other, so that at the middle of said lever thereare three elbows, and two sides of the elevated loops stand vertically,so that when the fore wheel of a vehicle strikes and depresses saidloop, the hind.

wheel is apt to strike and be stopped by the then raised loop, andespecially is this so if the vehicle is on a turn and the wheels nottracking, as is most always the case in approaching the gate, as thedriver will turn his team toward the middle of the gate after driv-' ingover the lever to open said gate.

Now, this stoppage by the hind wheel striking an elevated loop will notoccur in driving over my present lever, because the inclined middle partthereof will be struck by the hind wheel in turning, or when the forewheel passes over the inner end of the raised loop,

and the wheel will slide off said inclined part.

Ivclaim- 1. The top hinge composed of arm a, adjustable .bar I), lugs c,and arm 0, substantially as described.

2. The bottom hinge composed of stationary pivot, entering the bottom ofvertical gate-bar e, and revolving disk, supported by the pivot d.

3. The double-bent operating-lever H, having the inclined middle portioni, substantially as set forth. v

4. The combination of the spring-rod l,having a vertically-guidedprojecting pin, 0, the open-slotted semicircular band attached to thefront edge of opposite swinging gate, and the bottom catch arranged inthe middle of the road, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have affixed my signature inthe presence of two witnesses.

JAMES w. CLARK.

Witnesses:

JOHN T. MOWREY, J. M. CALVERT.

